But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check

Pete Stauber

Republican · U.S. House, Minnesota District 8
✗Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes

Stauber voted for every tracked aid bill and against both amendments to cut aid to Israel: “Israel is fighting for its very existence, and we cannot abandon them.” He accused the administration of withholding weapons “to appease the radical pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party”.

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Deep Dive

Stauber has represented Minnesota’s 8th District since 2019. His six recorded votes appear as badges on this card: Yes on all four tracked aid measures, No on both amendments to cut aid to Israel.

His April 2024 supplemental statement, verified: "Israel is our top ally in the Middle East, and they are engaged in conflicts on four separate fronts", naming Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran, and closing "Israel is fighting for its very existence, and we cannot abandon them." His May 2024 statement on the mandate bill, verified: the administration "would defy the will of Congress by conditionally withholding weapons to Israel in order to appease the radical pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party."

His alliance record includes a 2019 delegation trip praising the Jerusalem embassy move, and the July 2023 Minnesota Republican delegation statement condemning antisemitism and rejecting racist-state characterizations of Israel. His October-November 2023 statements are on the research page; he co-sponsored the river-to-the-sea condemnation resolution and the Antisemitism Awareness Act, per trackers. AIPAC’s and the Republican Jewish Coalition’s tracked support appears as badges on this card.

Nothing located has him addressing U.S. aid to Palestinians as a distinct question.

The record

Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes · Backs 0 of 1 tracked bills to restrict weapons transfers

Floor votes
H.R. 6126 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act2023-11-02 · Passed 226-196
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 7217 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-02-06 · Failed 250-180 (needed 2/3 under suspension)
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8034 - Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 20242024-04-20 · Passed 366-58
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8369 - Israel Security Assistance Support Act2024-05-16 · Passed 224-187
✗ Voted Yes
supported sending it
H.R. 8595 - Massie amendment (Part A No. 8) to bar FY27 funds for Israel and cut $3.3B in Foreign Military Financing2026-07-15 · Failed 104-314
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
H.Amdt. 55 to H.R. 4016 - strike $500M for Israeli Cooperative Programs2025-07-18 · Failed 6-422 (only 6 voted to cut)
✗ Voted No
voted against limiting it
Bill sponsorship
H.R. 3565 - Block the Bombs ActWould bar transfer of 2,000-lb/BLU-109 bunker busters, JDAMs, 120mm tank rounds, and 155mm artillery shells to Israel. Does not affect Iron
Not sponsoringhas not backed this restriction bill
H.R. 1229 - United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025Formalizes/expands bilateral defense cooperation with Israel.
Co-sponsorbacks this bill to send more support
How this mark works

We track key votes on sending U.S. weapons and money to the government of Israel. A check means every tracked vote they cast came down against sending more, on the side of peace and de-escalation. A question mark means a mixed record: they sided with sending up to half of the time. An X means they voted to send more weapons and money in over half of their tracked votes, even as the way those weapons and dollars were being used became more and more obvious. At exactly half, money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track, or an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons, makes it an X. Only votes actually cast are counted. Where a candidate has no recorded votes on these bills, the mark comes instead from a reviewed reading of their public record (money from the lobbying groups we track, endorsements, and their own words since January 26, 2024). There an X also covers fully backing the conduct of the war by the government of Israel without significant reservations, and a question mark also covers speaking about Israel without saying clearly where they stand on U.S. weapons and funding. A dash means No Position Found: we found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.

See a dash? Ask the candidate where they stand, then send us their answer and we'll review it and update the mark. Or volunteer to help review candidates.

Voted to send weapons or funding in more than half of their recorded tracked votes. (Supported sending weapons or funding in 6 of 6 tracked votes.)

The money

$23K in lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track

Lifetime support from the five lobbying groups we track
AIPAC PAC: $20,000 · Republican Jewish Coalition: $2,500
Support-only OpenFEC data (as of 2026-10-03). Opposition independent expenditures are excluded.
Who these lobbying groups are
AIPAC$20,000The American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.Republican Jewish Coalition$2,500The Republican Jewish Coalition's PAC; it financially supports Republican candidates who reflect its priorities, including strong U.S. backing of the government of Israel.Direct contributions and independent expenditures supporting this candidate from the five lobbying groups we track, every cycle each has filed, through 2026. Excludes earmarked and conduit contributions.
Endorsed by AIPAC
AIPACThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee; its PAC backs candidates it sees as strengthening U.S. ties with the government of Israel, including continued U.S. military aid.These endorsements come from groups that back sending U.S. weapons and funding to the government of Israel.

In their words

“Israel is fighting for its very existence, and we cannot abandon them.”
Source ↗, 2024-04-20
“Biden’s attempts to abandon our top ally in the Middle East during their darkest hour is not only despicable, but it also emboldens violent terrorists and displays weakness on the world stage.”
Source ↗, 2024-05-16
Endorsements

AIPAC (2026 endorsement)

Research log

The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.

U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel

  • His recorded votes appear as badges on this card: Yes on H.R. 6126, H.R. 8034, H.R. 8369, and H.R. 7217; No on both amendments to cut aid to Israel.
  • [Position, 2024-04-20] The supplemental statement, verified and quoted on the card; the Iran naming sits inside his own sentence.
  • [Position, 2024-05-16] The mandate-bill statement, verified and quoted on the card.
  • His November 2, 2023 emergency-supplemental statement is not on the card summary; retrieved for the record.

U.S. aid to Palestinians

  • Nothing located at any date.

Characterization of the conflict

  • The four-fronts framing above; his October-November 2023 characterizations are not on the card summary.

Related rhetoric and lobbying

  • [Action, 2019-08-15] The delegation-trip posts, per his own site’s repost.
  • [Action, 2023-07-19] The Minnesota Republican delegation statement, on his own site; pre-window.
  • Tracked AIPAC and RJC support appears as badges on this card.

Safety and antisemitism

  • [Actions] The river-to-the-sea resolution support (April 2024) and Antisemitism Awareness Act co-sponsorship, per trackers; reported, not confirmed directly.

Sources retrieved for this card

Race and status context

  • Sitting member, nominated. His DFL challenger’s card carries its own record.

Also in this race

  1. – Trina Swanson (Democrat)

All Minnesota candidates.

But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open Find Your Candidates for votes, funding and contact details.